I am not saying that you should utterly ignore the news about the emerging coronavirus and its outbreak. New viruses and new pandemics are a certainty but be aware that all too often what sells advertising and pushes ‘clicks’ on the internet is fear and outrage not reason and facts.

Last I saw the death toll from the coronavirus is  still under 200 with just north of 7000 cases. Now for each person and their family and loved ones those are terrible but from a ‘should I be scared’  perspective it’s still dwarfed by the currently raging flu season.

The CDC estimates that the USA 2019 thru late January 2020 has seen between 15 and 21 million cases of flu with deaths estimated between 8200 and 20,000 people. And still people put off or ignore the advice to get their damn flu shot.

GET YOUR DAMN FLU SHOT!

Oh, and by the way most of the time when someone think they have the flu they really have a cold. Both are virial infections, but flu is influenza and it will hit you much harder than the common cold.

So, pay attention to the news, coronavirus could be just starting, and we need to be prepared but do not panic.